The Wealth Paradox: Economic Prosperity and the Hardening of Attitudes

✍ Scribed by Frank Mols, Jolanda Jetten

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2017
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 236
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The West is currently in the grip of a perfect storm: a lingering economic recession, a global refugee crisis, declining faith in multiculturalism, and the rise of populist anti-immigration parties. These developments seem to confirm the widely held view that hardship and poverty lead to social unrest and, more specifically, scapegoating of minorities. Yet in this provocative new book, Mols and Jetten present compelling evidence to show that prejudice and intergroup hostility can be equally prevalent in times of economic prosperity, and among more affluent sections of the population. Integrating theory and research from social psychology, political science, sociology, and history, the authors systematically investigate why positive factors such as gratification, economic prosperity, and success may also fuel negative attitudes and behaviours. The Wealth Paradox provides a timely and important re-evaluation of the role that economic forces play in shaping prejudice.

The main lesson from the work is that populist voting may well be a phenomenon associated with status protection and aspiration to secure upward social mobility.

“[T]he authors argue ... that prosperity does not necessarily lead to contentment and, in turn, generosity: even the well-off can feel envious and insecure, regarding “outsiders” as rivals or threats.” (Eliane Glaser)

✦ Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgements xvii

Part I What We Know (or Think We Know) 1
1 Recognising the Elephant 3
2 Tracing the Origins of ‘Harsh Times’ Assumptions 20
3 Empirical Evidence for the ‘Harsh Times Producing Hard Attitudes’ Hypothesis 43

Part II Broadening Our Horizon: The ‘Wealth Paradox’ 61
4 Rethinking the Relationship between Wealth and Tolerance: National, Regional and Local Trends 63
5 Development Aid, Charitable Giving and Economic Prosperity 86
6 The Relative Nature of Wealth 102

Part III Understanding the ‘Wealth Paradox’ 121
7 Towards an Explanation of the Wealth Paradox: Introducing Social Identity Theorising 123
8 The Wealth Paradox Explained 138
9 The Missing Link: Crafty Politicians Galvanising Latent Sentiments 170

Final Word 189
References 192
Index 210